(24-07-08) New Findings: Young Women, Exercise and Breast Cance

Parents telling their daughters to get outside and play now have scientific backup.

A new study has found that girls and young woman who exercise regularly may decrease their risk of premenopausal breast cancer. Published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the study is one of only a handful of population studies investigating the effects of exercise on premenopausal breast cancer. It is also the largest study in this area to date.

“We don’t have a lot of prevention strategies for premenopausal breast cancer, but our findings clearly show that physical activity during adolescence and young adulthood can pay off in the long run by reducing a woman’s risk of early breast cancer,” says lead investigator Graham Colditz, M.D., Dr.P.H., associate director of Prevention and Control at the Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

About a quarter of all breast cancers are premenopausal breast cancer. Research has already shown that the more physical activity a woman does, the lower her risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. AICR’s expert report, Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective, concluded that high levels of physical activity probably decrease the risk of postmenopausal breast cancers, among other types of cancer.

The Evidence on Physical Activity and Lower Cancer Risk
Convincing Evidence
Probable Evidence
Suggestive Evidence
Colon cancer
Postmenopausal breast cancer
Endometrial cancer
Lung cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Premenopausal breast cancer
There are two ways that physical activity plays a role in cancer prevention. It helps us keep a healthy weight, which is strongly linked to preventing many types of cancers. Physical activity also works independently of weight, influencing hormones and growth factors involved in cancer development.



What they Did:

The new research analyzed data from almost 65,000 premenopausal women. The women, ages 33 to 51 at the beginning of the study (in 1997), recalled the type and amount of activity they did during five age periods, spanning from ages 12 to 34. At the start of the study, and again in 2001, participants also reported their activity over the previous year. Researchers tracked the women over 6 years and monitored for breast cancer.

What they Found:

Researchers found the total activity time – as opposed to intensity or type – showed the strongest association. Overall, women who were regularly active at high levels from age 12 onwards showed a 23 percent lower risk of breast cancer, compared to the least active women. The amount of activity needed to reach that lower risk equals about 3.25 hours a week of running or 13 hours a week of walking. The largest link to lowering cancer risk was found in young women who exercised at high levels between the ages of 12 and 22.

What it Means:

Physical activity can make a difference in breast cancer development. Engaging in some form of regular physical activity beginning as a pre-adolescent may protect women from premenopausal breast cancer.

This is one study that focuses on one type of cancer. AICR’s report found that only 30 minutes of moderate physical activity can reduce the risk of many types of cancer.

Related Links

You can read about AICR’s physical activity recommendation along with the other nine Recommendations for Cancer Prevention.
Find strategies and tips to fit activity into your daily life in our latest brochure, Moving More for Cancer Prevention.
Pedometers are a popular exercise strategy these days. This month’s Nutrition Notes looks at the research showing how pedometers can get people moving.


Source: aicr.com

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